Julia Stock

Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

“Professional ballet dancer, turned petroleum engineer, turned businesswoman. I’m a poet and a quant.”

Hometown: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Fun Fact About Yourself: I trained at the Royal Ballet School in London and had the opportunity to dance at the Royal Opera House

Undergraduate School and Major: Petroleum Engineer – UFRJ (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro), Master 2 in Materials Engineering  – Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chimie de Lille

Employers and Job Titles Since Graduation: Business analyst at McKinsey, strategy analyst at Vale, graduate engineer at SBM Offshore

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Leading an initiative to incorporate advanced analytics in the decision-making process of an agribusiness company. The team was composed of 11 people from 4 different business areas. It was very rewarding to see the amount of change we implemented in such a short period of time, and to experience first-hand the effects and challenges of this technology. The project won a prize from the Brazilian Institute of Supply Chain, which was really gratifying and exciting.

Looking back on your experience, what one piece of advice would you give to future business school applicants? Know your story and focus on your strengths. Spend time understanding the talents that make you stand out. During the Team Based Discussion, see your group members as allies. It’s a team effort and you have more chance to succeed by working together.

What was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The Lauder joint degree program. When choosing my MBA, I was looking for a way to deepen my knowledge of the African market, since it has amazing growth potential. My choice was spot on. Even before starting the MBA course, we participated in a summer immersion in which we met entrepreneurs, policy makers, politicians, PE and VC founders and even President Obama’s grandmother!

 What would success look like to you after your first year of business school? Having a great group of friends and professional network within the Wharton community. Also, I want to get to know myself better and evolve as a leader by being exposed to diverse experiences.